Design and Construction
The Sirena 38's hull and deck are solid fiberglass, and her keel is lead. At 11.62 meters overall with a 9.2-meter waterline and a beam of just 3.11 meters, she carries a length-to-beam ratio of 3.76, making her slimmer than 90% of comparable sailboat designs narrow beam versus peers. Her displacement is 5,200 kg with 2,140 kg of ballast, a 42% ballast ratio that exceeds 62% of similar designs. The DL-ratio of 180 puts her in the "light racers" category, with 82% of peer designs weighing more. Guard rails measure 9.36 meters high and 8.64 meters low, though those figures likely vary from boat to boat.
Rig and Sail Plan
Her fractional rig carries a mast 15 meters above the deck (16.5 meters total) and a sail area of 60 m², split into a 37 m² mainsail and a 26 m² jib, with a 24.3 m² self-tacking jib and a 40 m² genoa also specified. The spinnaker measures 98 m². With the ISO reference sail her SA/D is 19.7, rising to 22.8 with a 135% genoa, and reviewers calculated that she is faster than 76% of similar designs in light wind while carrying more rig than 96% of them — significantly overrigged by that measure. Halyard and sheet specifications are generous: main and jib/genoa halyards run about 34.8 meters at 12 mm, the mainsheet 38 meters at 14 mm.
Performance and Handling
The classic hull-speed formula gives 7.87 knots, while a displacement-boat maximum is cited at 7.4 knots and a calculated max speed around 5.1 knots; her LYS rating is 1.22. The Motion Comfort Ratio falls between 23.6 and 25.0, more comfortable than 31% of similar designs. The capsize screening value is 1.79. Her draft of 1.75 to 1.83 meters (dependent on load) keeps her within most marina depths, and the immersion rate is about 192 kg/cm.
Accommodations
Below, the Sirena 38 provides a cabin height of 1.85 meters. The standing headroom and moderate beam define the living space available.
The Verdict
The Sirena 38 is a narrowly proportioned, lightly built eighties racer-cruiser with an unusually tall rig for her size and a lead fin keel. She rewards light-air speed and easy marina access but offers less beam and comfort than most peers.
Pros
- Slim, light hull with high ballast ratio and lead keel
- Fractional rig with large sail area and strong light-wind performance
- Moderate draft suits most marinas
Cons
- Narrow beam limits interior volume versus peers
- Comfort ratio below the majority of similar designs
- Significantly overrigged relative to class norm
